But just hours before the city council met to vote, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne had already sent in his opposition. Horne called same-sex civil unions unconstitutional and said he would fight the city.

Becky Reyes lives in town and was one of the measure’s proponents. She expects Bisbee is in for a long fight.

"I anticipate it. I just wish that it would not be true,” she said.

Civil unions will only be recognized within the city limits. The ordinance allows gay couples some of the same rights as legal marriage, like sharing property ownership and making medical decisions for partners.